Storage system and storage method

ABSTRACT

A storage system of the present invention includes a storage area for arranging and storing articles (W), a carrying-in line ( 200 ) for carrying in the articles (W) toward the storage area, and a transfer mechanism ( 300 ) arranged on an upper region of the storage area in order to transfer the articles (W) carried in by the carrying-in line to the storage area. The storage area includes a supporting table ( 100 ) for arranging and supporting a plurality of pallets (P) capable of loading the articles (W), and the transfer mechanism ( 300 ) transfers the articles (W) to the pallets (P) supported on the supporting table ( 100 ). Since an operation for transferring the articles stored directly on the floor face as before to the pallets is not required, a carrying-out process is simplified and efficiency of storage process of the articles as a whole (carrying-in from the outside, transfer to the storage area, carrying-out to the outside) is improved.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a storage system and a storage methodfor carrying an article such as a product (a tire or the like, forexample) into a predetermined storage area for storage and for carryingit out according to a request and particularly to a storage system and astorage method for storing with stacking various diversified articles.

BACKGROUND ART

As a conventional storage system, an automatic warehouse is known whichis provided with a storage area constituted by an indoor floor face(concrete face) or the like formed so as to stack and store products inplural stages according to type, a warehousing area provided adjacentlyto the storage area and for carrying in products stacked on a palletfrom outside, a delivery area provided adjacently to the storage areaand for carrying out the stored products by stacking them on an emptypallet according to a request, a transfer apparatus for warehousing thatis arranged on a ceiling region and capable of three-dimensionalmovement so as to transfer products from the warehousing area to thestorage area, a transfer apparatus for delivery that is arranged on theceiling region and capable of three-dimensional movement so as totransfer products from the storage area to the delivery area and thelike (See Patent Document 1, for example).

However, in this storage system, the products carried into thewarehousing area and in a standby state are sorted according to typesthereof and stored in the storage area and then, the same type ofproducts are transferred onto a pallet standing by in the delivery areaaccording to a delivery instruction and carried out to a requiredoutside area (subsequent process where the products are required, forexample) from the storage area. That is, since a transfer operation ofthe products is processed in two stages, namely, a warehousing andtransfer operation from the warehousing area to the storage area and adelivery and transfer operation from the storage area to the deliveryarea, time required for storage processing gets long, and efficiency ofthe storage processing is drastically lowered.

Also, since the transfer apparatuses for performing the storageprocessing are separate, which are the transfer apparatus forcarrying-in (warehousing) for transferring the products from thewarehousing area to the storage area and the transfer apparatus forcarry-out (delivery) for transferring the products from the storage areato the delivery area, if the balance between warehousing and delivery ofthe products becomes wrong, an operation efficiency of the storageprocessing is lowered, in a manufacturing process or the like using theproduct, an influence given on a prior process or subsequent processbecomes significant.

Also, since the storage area is constituted by an indoor floor face(concrete face) or the like, the products are directly stacked on thefloor face according to type and masses of the stacked products arestored in a planarly arranged state and in close contact (adjacently)with each other, once they are stacked and arranged, it is difficult tomove the stacked products to another region within the storage area, andan allocated region for stacking the products within the storage areacannot be changed easily.

Moreover, since the warehousing area and the delivery area are planarlyarranged as separate areas adjacent to an outer periphery of the storagearea, if a product is to be transferred from the warehousing area to thefarthest allocated region (stacking region) of the storage area or ifthe product is to be transferred from the farthest allocated region(stacking region) of the storage area to the delivery area, a movingdistance of the transfer apparatus becomes long, which incursdeterioration of the transfer efficiency (storage processing).

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.    2000-238906

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION Problem to be Solved by the Invention

The present invention was made in view of the circumstances of the aboveprior art and has an object to provide a storage system and a storagemethod which can efficiently perform processing from carrying-in tostorage of an article (a product such as a tire or the like, forexample) or processing of carrying out the article in storage accordingto a request while promoting space saving of an installation area, sizereduction, simplification of a structure and the like, can improvestorage processing efficiency as a whole, can sort and surely storevarious and diversified articles according to types thereof andmoreover, can correctly and easily take out the article in storageaccording to a request.

Means for Solving Problem

The storage system of the present invention in order to achieve theabove object is provided with a storage area for arranging and storingarticles, a carrying-in line for carrying in the articles toward thestorage area, and a transfer mechanism arranged in an upper region ofthe storage area so as to transfer the articles carried in by thecarrying-in line to the storage area. The storage area includes asupporting table for arranging and supporting a plurality of palletscapable of loading articles, and the transfer mechanism transfers thearticles to the pallet supported on the supporting table.

According to this configuration, when the articles are carried in by thecarrying-in line, the transfer mechanism arranged on an upper region(ceiling region) in the storage area takes out the articles at apredetermined taking-out position on the carrying-in line and transfersit onto a predetermined pallet in a plurality of pallets supported bythe supporting table in the storage area.

As mentioned above, since the articles are stored on the plurality ofpallets on the supporting table defining the storage area, when thearticles are to be taken out according to a request, by taking them outfrom the outside for each pallet using a carrying-out means such as aforklift or an automatic carrying-out line and the like, an operation totransfer the articles directly stored on the floor face onto the palletas in the prior art is not required any more, carrying-out processing issimplified, and efficiency of the storage processing of the articles asa whole (carrying-in from the outside, transfer to the storage area,carrying-out to the outside) is improved. Also, if a storage(allocation) location of the articles is to be changed on the basis of amanagement plan of the articles, by taking in/out each pallet on whichthe articles are loaded with respect to the supporting position on thesupporting table, the storage (allocation) location can be changedeasily.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the supporting table includes a plurality ofsupporting tables arranged and provided on both sides, respectively, inthe horizontal direction putting the carrying-in line between them.

According to this configuration, since (a single row or plural rows of)the supporting tables are arranged on both sides, respectively, so as toput the carrying-in line between them, the articles having been carriedin by the carrying-in line can be sorted to the both sides and storedtherein. Therefore, a storage capacity of the articles can be increasedas a whole, and the transfer mechanism can perform the transferoperation in a short moving distance toward the both sides symmetricallywith respect to the carrying-in line as a center, and thus, the transfertime can be reduced, and the transfer efficiency can be improved.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the supporting table includes a plurality ofsupporting tables arranged and provided on both sides, respectively, inthe horizontal direction putting the carrying-in line between them, andthe carrying-in line defines a taking-out position where the transfermechanism takes out the article at a substantially center position inthe storage area.

According to this configuration, since (a single row or plural rows of)the supporting tables are arranged on both sides, respectively, so as toput the carrying-in line between them, the articles having been carriedin by the carrying-in line can be sorted to the both sides and storedtherein. Therefore, the storage capacity of the articles can beincreased as a whole, and since the transfer mechanism takes out thearticle at the substantially center position of the storage area andtransfers it to a respective storage location (pallet), the transfermechanism can perform the transfer operation in a short moving distancetoward the both sides symmetrically with respect to the substantiallycenter position as a center, and thus, the transfer time can be reduced,and the transfer efficiency can be further improved.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the carrying-in line defines a feeding face forfeeding the article at a position higher than the maximum height of thearticle to be stacked on a pallet supported by the supporting table.

According to this configuration, when the transfer mechanism transfersthe article on the carrying-in line to the pallet in the storage area,the transfer mechanism slightly lifts up the article from the feedingface and holds it and then, only moves it horizontally or downward so asto transfer it to the pallet and does not have to lift the articleupward, and thus, the transfer operation can be simplified or a workamount (load) can be reduced for that amount, and the efficiency of thestorage processing can be improved as a whole.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that a pallet conveying line for carrying in the pallettoward the supporting table and/or for carrying out the pallet from thesupporting table is included.

According to this configuration, an empty pallet (or a pallet on whichthe articles are partially loaded) is carried onto (a supportingposition on) the supporting table by the pallet conveying line or thepallet on which the required article is loaded is carried out toward theoutside from (the supporting position on) the supporting table.

Therefore, the carrying-in/out operation of the pallet and thecarrying-out operation of the article can be performed efficiently.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the pallet conveying line includes a movable unitmovable in the horizontal direction along the supporting table and forperforming delivery of a pallet with the supporting position of thesupporting table.

According to this configuration, since the pallet (an empty pallet orthe pallet on which the article is loaded) is carried in or out withrespect to (the supporting position on) the supporting table by themovable unit, the carrying-in/out operation of the pallet and thecarrying-out operation of the article can be performed furtherefficiently.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the supporting table includes a plurality ofsupporting tables arranged and provided on both sides, respectively, inthe horizontal direction putting the carrying-in line between them, andthe movable unit is formed movably between the plurality of supportingtables.

According to this configuration, since the movable unit reciprocallymoves between the supporting tables arranged on the both sides so thatthe pallet can be delivered with the supporting table on one side or thesupporting table on the other side, taking in/out operation andcarrying-out operation of the pallet which is empty or on which anarticle is loaded can be performed further efficiently.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the supporting table include a driving unit forgiving a driving force to the pallet when the pallet is taken in/outwith respect to a predetermined supporting position.

According to this configuration, when the pallet is transferred towardthe supporting position on the supporting table from the movable unit ortoward a movable table from the supporting position on the supportingtable, by giving the driving force of the driving unit to the pallet,the transfer operation of the pallet can be performed smoothly.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the supporting table includes a positioning portionfor positioning the pallet carried in from the outside at the supportingposition.

According to this configuration, when the pallet is supported at thesupporting position on the supporting table, since the positioningportion gives a positioning action while guiding the pallet, the palletcan be positioned at the predetermined supporting position on thesupporting table with high accuracy.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that a reading means for reading information of aninformation medium attached to the article having been carried in by thecarrying-in line is included.

According to this configuration, since information (type, size and thelike, for example) of the information medium (barcode label or the like,for example) attached to the carried-in article can be read by thereading means, the storage processing of the article can be performedsmoothly on the basis of the information obtained by this reading means.

In the storage system with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the supporting table includes a reading/writingmeans for reading information of the information medium attached to eachpallet supported at the supporting position or writing information inthe information medium.

According to this configuration, since the information (information onempty or not, information relating to the type of the article to beloaded and the like, for example) of the information medium attached toeach pallet supported at the supporting position on the supporting tablecan be read by the reading/writing means, the storage processing of thearticle can be performed smoothly on the basis of the informationobtained by the reading/writing means, and information can be newlywritten in the information medium by the reading/writing means, in sucha case that the pallet having been carried out in the middle of thetransfer processing is carried in again and returned onto the supportingtable, optimal storage processing can be applied by checking (reading)its history.

Also, by writing predetermined information also in the informationmedium attached to the pallet, even if a computer for management fails,full loss of data such as storage information can be prevented, and thesubsequent storage processing can be performed surely.

A storage method of the present invention in order to achieve the aboveobject is a storage method for carrying in an article by a carrying-inline, transferring and storing the carried-in article to a storage areaor carrying out the article corresponding to a request by a transfermechanism, which includes an address-space setting step for settingaddress spaces corresponding to a plurality of pallets supported by asupporting table defining the storage area, a reading step of an articlefor reading information relating to the article which has been carriedin by the carrying-in line, and a carrying-in/transfer step fortransferring the article onto a predetermined pallet on the supportingtable by the transfer mechanism on the basis of the information obtainedby the reading step of an article and the address-space setting step.

According to this configuration, at the address-space setting step, avirtual address space corresponding to an actual storage spacecorresponding to the pallet is set by use of a control means such as acomputer for management or the like, and when the information of thearticle which has been actually carried in is read (discriminated) atthe reading step of an article, the article is transferred to apredetermined storage location (predetermined pallet on the supportingtable) on the basis of the information of the article and the addressspace at the carrying-in/transfer step.

As a result, the storage processing of the article as a whole (sortingand transfer of the carried-in articles to the storage areas) can beperformed in a well-planned way, without waste, efficiently and withhigh accuracy. Also, if a storage (allocated) location of the article isto be changed on the basis of a management plan of the articles, theallocation of the storage location can be easily changed at theaddress-space setting step.

In the storage method with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the reading step of an article is performed at ataking-out position on the carrying-in line for taking out the articleby the transfer mechanism.

According to this configuration, since the information of the articleimmediately before transfer to the storage area is read, the articlescan be transferred to the corresponding storage area surely and withaccuracy for storage on the basis of the information.

In the storage method with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the address-space setting step updates informationrelating to the address space corresponding to the pallet on which thearticle has been transferred by the carrying-in/transfer step.

According to this configuration, since the article is transferred andthe information relating to the address space is updated at the sametime, the articles can be surely transferred onto a pallet with alimited capacity without overload, and loading information of thearticles in the pallet can be managed with high accuracy.

In the storage method with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the address-space setting step sets the addressspaces corresponding to a plurality of pallets in advance in accordancewith assumed types of the articles.

According to this configuration, by setting (allocating) the addressspaces in advance according to the assumed type of the article,efficient storage processing can be executed in a well-planned way.

In the storage method with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that the address-space setting step sets the addressspaces corresponding to the plurality of pallets on the basis of thetype of the article which was transferred first.

According to this configuration, by setting (allocating) the addressspace on the basis of the type of the article which was loaded first,flexible storage processing corresponding to a time-dependent requesteach time can be performed.

In the storage method with the above configuration, such a configurationcan be employed that a pallet carrying-out step for carrying out thearticle for which carrying-out is requested among the articles stored inthe storage area by a carrying-out means for each pallet is included.

According to this configuration, since a pallet on which the articleaccording to a request is loaded is carried out by the carrying-outmeans (carrying-out line, forklift and the like, for example), thestorage processing including a flow of carrying-in, transfer, storage,carrying-out and the like can be continuously executed without delay.

Advantageous Effect of the Invention

According to the storage system and the storage method with the aboveconfiguration, while space saving of an installation area, sizereduction, simplification of a structure and the like are achieved, theprocessing till the articles (a product such as tire, for example) arecarried in and stored and the processing for carrying out the storedarticles according to a request can be performed efficiently, thestorage processing efficiency can be improved as a whole, and variousand diversified articles can be sorted by the type and stored surely,and moreover, the stored articles can be easily and correctly taken outaccording to a request.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating an embodiment of a storage systemaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the storage system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a plan view illustrating a supporting table constituting apart of the storage system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the supporting table by E1-E1 in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 6 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 7 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 8 is a front view illustrating another embodiment of the storagesystem according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the storage system shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a front view illustrating still another embodiment of thestorage system according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the storage system shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 14 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 11 to 13;

FIG. 15 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 11 to 13;

FIG. 16 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 11 to 13;

FIG. 17 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 11 to 13;

FIG. 18 is a front view illustrating still another embodiment of thestorage system according to the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a side view of the storage system shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 21 is a front view illustrating still another embodiment of thestorage system according to the present invention;

FIG. 22 is a side view of the storage system shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 21;

FIG. 24 is a plan view in which a part of the storage system shown inFIGS. 21 to 23 is changed;

FIG. 25 is a side view illustrating still another embodiment of thestorage system according to the present invention;

FIG. 26 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 25;

FIG. 27 is a front view illustrating still another embodiment of thestorage system according to the present invention;

FIG. 28 is a side view of the storage system shown in FIG. 27;

FIG. 29 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 27;

FIG. 30A is a plan view illustrating a supporting table constituting apart of the storage system shown in FIG. 27;

FIG. 30B is a front view of the supporting table shown in FIG. 30A;

FIG. 31 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 27 to 29;

FIG. 32 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 27 to 29;

FIG. 33 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 27 to 29;

FIG. 34 is an operation diagram for explaining an operation of thestorage system shown in FIGS. 27 to 29;

FIG. 35 is a front view illustrating still another embodiment of thestorage system according to the present invention;

FIG. 36 is a side view of the storage system shown in FIG. 35; and

FIG. 37 is a plan view of the storage system shown in FIG. 35.

EXPLANATIONS OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS

-   -   P pallet    -   FL forklift (carrying-out means)    -   100, 100′, 100″ supporting table (storage area)    -   101 supporting portion (supporting position)    -   101′ supporting portion    -   101 a′ pair of supporting belt (driving unit)    -   101 b′ driving motor (driving unit)    -   102 leg portion    -   103, 103′ positioning portion    -   200, 200′, 200″, 200′″, 210′ carrying-in line    -   S feeding face    -   Pout taking-out position    -   300, 300′ transfer mechanism    -   301 fixed frame    -   302, 302′ movable frame    -   303, 303′ slider    -   304 elevating arm    -   305 holding unit    -   400 reading sensor (reading means)    -   500 reading/writing unit (reading/writing means)    -   600, 600′ pallet conveying line    -   601, 601′ movable unit    -   601 a′ pair of supporting belt (driving unit)    -   602 guide rail    -   603 pallet carrying-in unit    -   604 pallet carrying-out unit (carrying-out means)

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described belowreferring to the attached drawings.

This storage system is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, provided with asupporting table 100 as a storage area for arranging and storing anarticle W (a tire, here), a carrying-in line 200 for carrying in thearticle W toward the supporting table 100, a transfer mechanism 300arranged on an upper region (ceiling region) of the supporting table 100for transferring the article W having been carried in by the carrying-inline 200 onto the supporting table 100, a reading sensor 400 as areading means for reading information of an information medium attachedto the article W at a taking-out position Pout on the carrying-in line100, a reading/writing unit 500 as a reading/writing means for readinginformation of the information medium attached to a pallet P or writinginformation in the information medium on the supporting table 100, acomputer (not shown) governing various controls relating to the storageand the like.

Here, the pallet P is formed, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, with a size thatthe articles W can be stacked and loaded in two rows in the X direction,two rows in the Y direction and plural stages (four stages, for example)in the vertical direction Z, and a hollow portion is formed below it sothat a fork F (See FIG. 2) of a forklift FL can be inserted/withdrawn inthe Y direction.

Also, a recording card (not shown) as an information medium in whichloading information of the article W is written is mounted on (attachedto) to the pallet P. This recording card is used for automaticinformation rewriting or the like by a manual operation of an operatoror on the basis of read-out information through the computer.

Here, in the recording card, information relating on whether the articleW is loaded or not (or full or not), information relating to the type ofthe loaded article W and the like is written, for example.

Also, to the article W, a read label (not shown) as an informationmedium in which the information relating to the type (information on anapplicable target, size, material and the like, for example) is writtenis affixed. The read label has the information relating to the article Wdescribed by barcode or the like.

The supporting table 100 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 4A and 4B,composed of four supporting portions 101 arranging and supporting fourpallets P in the X direction within a horizontal plane, leg portions 102for supporting the supporting portions 101 at a predetermined heightposition, positioning portions 103 for guiding the pallet P to asupporting face 101 and positioning it in the horizontal direction andthe like.

The four supporting portions 101 are formed, as shown in FIGS. 4A and4B, in a rectangular shape seen from above, respectively.

The four positioning portions 103 are formed at four corners of each ofthe supporting portions 101 and are formed to be inclined upward toexpand toward the top end so as to guide the pallet P lowered and loadedfrom above toward the supporting portion 101 and to stand upright so asto position the pallet in the horizontal direction.

The carrying-in line 200 is arranged, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, so as tobe adjacent to the substantially center in the Y direction on one endside in the X direction of the supporting table 100 and formed so thatthe feeding direction extends in the X direction.

As the carrying-in line 200, a belt conveyer, a roller conveyer, atraverser, a transfer machine and the like can be applied and thecarrying-in line is formed so that the article W is fed from the leftside to the right side in FIG. 1. In a downstream-end region in thefeeding direction (X direction) on the carrying-in line 200, thetaking-out position Pout where the article W is taken out by thetransfer mechanism 300, which will be described later, is defined.

The transfer mechanism 300 is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, composed of agate-like fixed frame 301 formed so as to extend in the X direction andthe Y direction in the upper region (ceiling region) of the supportingtable 100, a movable frame 302 movably supported in the Y direction withrespect to the fixed frame 301, a slider 303 movably supported in the Xdirection with respect to the movable frame 302, an elevating arm 304supported capable of elevation in the vertical direction Z with respectto the slider 303, a holding unit 305 provided at a lower end of theelevating arm 304 so as to hold the article W and the like.

The movable frame 302 is driven to a predetermined position in the Ydirection by a lead screw mechanism composed of a ball screw (not shown)provided along the fixed frame 301 extending in the Y direction, ascrewed portion (not shown) provided on the movable frame 302 andscrewed with the ball screw, a motor (not shown) provided on the fixedframe 301 so as to rotate and drive the ball screw and the like; a rackand pinion mechanism composed of a pinion rack (not shown) providedalong the fixed frame 302 extending in the Y direction, a pinion gear(not shown) provided on the movable frame 302 and engaging with thepinion rack, a motor (not shown) provided on the movable frame 302 so asto rotate and drive the pinion gear; an actuator telescopically moved bya pneumatic pressure and the like; or the like.

The slider 303 is driven to a predetermined position in the X directionby a lead screw mechanism composed of a ball screw (not shown) providedso as to extend in the X direction in the movable frame 302, a screwedportion (not shown) provided on the slider 303 and screwed with the ballscrew, a motor (not shown) provided on the movable frame 302 so as torotate and drive the ball screw and the like; a rack and pinionmechanism composed of a pinion rack (not shown) provided so as to extendin the X direction in the movable frame 302, a pinion gear (not shown)provided on the slider 303 and engaging with the pinion rack, a motor(not shown) provided on the slider 303 so as to rotate and drive thepinion gear; an actuator telescopically moved by a pneumatic pressureand the like; or the like.

The elevating arm 304 is driven to a predetermined position in thevertical direction Z by a lead screw mechanism composed of a ball screw(not shown) provided so as to extend in the vertical direction Z in theslider 303, a screwed portion (not shown) provided on the elevating arm304 and screwed with the ball screw, a motor (not shown) provided on theslider 303 so as to rotate and drive the ball screw and the like; a rackand pinion mechanism composed of a pinion rack (not shown) provided soas to extend in the vertical direction Z in the slider 303, a piniongear (not shown) provided on the slider 303 and engaging with the pinionrack, a motor (not shown) provided on the slider 303 so as to rotate anddrive the pinion gear; an actuator telescopically moved by a pneumaticpressure and the like; or the like.

The holding unit 305 has a pair of claws driven so as to be broughtclose to or separated from each other in the X direction by a drivingmechanism (not shown) provided at a lower end of the elevating arm 304so that the pair of claws are separated to hold (grasp) the articles W,while the pair of claws are brought close to release the articles W. Asthe holding unit 305, other means may be employed.

The reading sensor 400 is, as shown in FIG. 3, provided at an endportion adjacent to the taking-out position Pout of the carrying-in line100. The reading sensor 400 reads a read label of the article W havingbeen carried into the taking-out position Pout, and read-out informationof the read label is managed in a centralized manner in the computer.Here, as the reading sensor 400, a non-contact type optical sensor, amagnetic sensor and the like can be applied.

The reading/writing unit 500 is, as shown in FIG. 3, provided on a sidepart adjacent to each of the supporting positions (supporting portions101) on the supporting table 100. The reading/writing unit 500 reads therecording card of the pallet P supported at the supporting position(supporting portion 101), and the read-out information of the recordingcard is managed in a centralized manner in the computer. Thereading/writing unit 500 can update the recorded information by newlywriting information. Here, as the reading/writing unit 500, anon-contact type optical pickup sensor, a magnetic pickup sensor, anelectric-wave pickup sensor (RFID or the like) and the like can beapplied.

Subsequently, an operation of the storage system will be describedreferring to FIGS. 5 to 7.

Here, the information relating to the supporting position (eachsupporting portion 101) on the supporting table 100 has been inputted inthe computer in advance in the form of coordinates (X1, Y1), (X2, Y1),(X3, Y1), (X4, Y1).

First, as shown in (S1) in FIG. 5, the article W is carried into thepredetermined taking-out position Pout by the carrying-in line 200.Then, the reading sensor 400 reads the read label affixed to the articleW. That is, a reading step of an article for reading the informationrelating to the article W having been carried in by the carrying-in line200 is executed by the reading sensor 400.

As mentioned above, since the reading step of an article is executed atthe taking-out position Pout on the carrying-in line 200, that is, theinformation of the article W is read out immediately before transfer tothe storage area (pallet P on the supporting table 100), the article Wcan be transferred and stored at the corresponding storage area surelyand with high accuracy on the basis of the information.

Subsequently, the holding unit 305 of the transfer mechanism 300 ismoved from a standby position and positioned above the taking-outposition Pout as shown in (S2) in FIG. 5.

Subsequently, by the outside forklift FL, as shown in (S3) in FIG. 5,the four empty pallets P are carried into the four supporting portions101 on the supporting table 100. At this carrying-in, each pallet P isguided by the positioning portions 103 and smoothly positioned on thesupporting portion 101 and supported.

Subsequently, the reading/writing unit 500 reads the recording cardsprovided on the four pallets P supported at the four supportingpositions on the supporting table 100 (storage area) and on the basis ofthe read-out information, an address-space setting step for settingaddress spaces corresponding to the four pallets P is executed by acomputer.

Here, information that no article W is loaded on the four pallets P andthe pallet is empty is written in the recording card in advance.

The carrying-in operation of the pallet P may be performed prior to thecarrying-in of the article W.

Subsequently, the holding unit 305 of the transfer mechanism 300 islowered to hold the article W and take it out of the carrying-in line200 and lifts it to a predetermined height. Then, the holding unit 305of the transfer mechanism 300 is moved two-dimensionally in the XY planeon the basis of a command signal of the computer, and as shown in (S4)in FIG. 6, the unit is moved and lowered to immediately above the palletP located at a predetermined position (here, a coordinate (X2, Y1), andactually, more predetermined coordinates are allocated according to thesize of the article W (tire) and here, any of positions (a1, a2, a3, a4)at which the four articles W (tires) are to be loaded) so as to transferthe article W onto the pallet P.

Here, as shown in (S5) in FIG. 6, the type of the article W stored onthe pallet P at the coordinate (X2, Y1) is type A, and the articles W oftype A are also loaded to the remaining three loading spaces on thispallet P.

That is, here, the address-space setting step for setting the addressspaces corresponding to the four pallets P on the basis of the type ofthe article W which was transferred first is performed.

As mentioned above, by setting (allocating) the address spaces on thebasis of the type of the article W which was loaded first, the flexiblestorage processing corresponding to time-dependent request or the likeeach time can be performed.

The transfer mechanism 300 (holding unit 305) similarly transfers thearticles W of type A onto the pallet P at the coordinate (X2, Y1) asshown in (S6) in FIG. 6 and transfers the articles W of the types C, B,D onto the pallets P at the coordinates (X1, Y1), (X3, Y1), (X4, Y1),respectively. That is, on the basis of the information obtained from thereading step of an article and the address-space setting step, thecarrying-in/transfer step for transferring the article W onto the palletP on the supporting table 100 by the transfer mechanism 300 isperformed.

Then, the supporting table 100 stores 64 pieces (16×4 pieces) in totalof the articles W on the four pallets P, respectively, in a state inwhich the articles W in 2×2 are stacked in plural stages (4 stages).

With regard to the pallet P onto which the article W was transferred bythe carrying-in/transfer step, the information relating to the addressspace is updated at the address-space setting step.

According to the above, since the article W is transferred and theinformation relating to the address space is updated at the same time,the articles W can be surely transferred onto the pallet P with alimited capacity without overload, and the loading information of thearticles W in the pallet P can be managed with high accuracy.

When a delivery request for the article W of the type C and the type Bis made, for example, as shown in (S7) in FIG. 7, the corresponding twopallets P are lifted by the outside forklift FL and carried out of thesupporting table 100.

After that, prior to the carrying-in and storage of a new article W, thetwo empty pallets P are similarly carried in and supported by theoutside forklift FL at the corresponding supporting portion 101(supporting position) on the supporting table 100 as shown in (S8) inFIG. 7.

Then, similarly to the above, the reading/writing unit 500 reads therecording cards of the two pallets P newly supported at the twosupporting positions on the supporting table 100 (storage area). Thatis, on the basis of the information obtained by the reading/writing unit500, the address-space setting step for setting the address spacescorresponding to the two pallets P is executed by the computer.

After that, to the empty pallets P, as shown in (S9) in FIG. 7, thearticles W (the articles W of types C and B, for example) aretransferred and stored according to the procedure similar to the above.

According to the storage system, since the supporting table 100 forarranging and supporting the plurality of pallets P on which thearticles W can be loaded is employed as a storage area, the transfermechanism 300 transfers the articles W to the pallet P supported on thesupporting table 100, and the articles W are stored in the stacked stateon the pallet P, when the articles W are to be taken out according tothe delivery request, the articles can be taken out for each pallet P byuse of a carrying-out means such as the forklift FL or the like from theoutside, there is no need to transfer the article directly stored on thefloor face as before to the pallet any more, by which the carrying-outprocessing is simplified, and efficiency of the storage processing ofthe articles W as a whole (carrying-in from the outside, transfer to thestorage area, carrying-out to the outside) is improved.

If the storage (allocation) location of the article W is to be changedon the basis of the management plan of the articles W, the storage(allocation) location can be easily changed by taking in/out each palletP on which the articles W are loaded with respect to the supportingposition on the supporting table 100.

FIGS. 8 to 10 show another embodiment of the storage system according tothe present invention, and the same reference numerals are given to thesame configuration as that in the above embodiment, and the descriptionwill be omitted.

That is, this storage system is provided with, as shown in FIGS. 8 to10, a pair of separated supporting tables 100′ as a storage area, acarrying-in line 200′ arranged between the pair of supporting tables100′, a transfer mechanism 300′ arranged on an upper region (ceilingregion) of the pair of supporting tables 100′ and the like.

The pair of supporting tables 100′ are, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10,provided with two supporting portions 101, respectively. That is, theycorrespond to a form in which the supporting table 100 in theabove-mentioned embodiment is separated from the center in the Xdirection.

The carrying-in line 200′ is, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, arranged in asubstantially center region between the pair of supporting tables 100′in the X direction and formed so that the feeding direction extends inthe Y direction. That is, the pair of supporting tables 100′ arearranged and provided on both sides in the horizontal direction (Xdirection) putting the carrying-in line 200′ between them.

In a downstream end region in the feeding direction (Y direction) on thecarrying-in line 200′ (that is, at the substantially center position inthe storage area), the taking-out position Pout where the article W istaken out by the transfer mechanism 300′ is defined.

The transfer mechanism 300′ is, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, provided witha movable frame 302′ movably supported in the X direction with respectto the fixed frame 301 extending in the X direction, a slider 303′movably supported in the Y direction with respect to the movable frame302′, the elevating arm 304, the holding unit 305 and the like.

According to this storage system, since the supporting tables 100′ arearranged on both sides so as to put the carrying-in line 200′ betweenthem, the articles W which have been carried in by the carrying-in line200′ can be sorted to the both sides for storage.

That is, the transfer mechanism 300′ can perform a transfer operationsymmetrically with respect to the substantially center position as thecenter in a short moving distance in order to take out the articles W atthe substantially center position of the storage area and to transfer itonto the respective pallets P arranged on the both sides, and thus, thetransfer time can be reduced, and the transfer efficiency can be furtherimproved.

Since this operation in the storage system is substantially the same asthe above-mentioned embodiment except that the transfer mechanism 300′sorts and transfers the taken-out articles W to both sides of thecarrying-in line 200′, the description here will be omitted.

FIGS. 11 to 13 show still another embodiment of the storage systemaccording to the present invention, and the same reference numerals aregiven to the same configuration as that in the above-mentionedembodiment and the description will be omitted.

That is, this storage system is, as shown in FIGS. 11 to 13, providedwith two supporting tables 100 extending in the X direction, acarrying-in line 200″ arranged so as to be put between the twosupporting tables 100, the transfer mechanism 300 arranged on an upperregion (ceiling region) of the two supporting tables 100 (storage areas)and the like.

The two supporting tables 100 have, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, foursupporting portions 101 arranged in the X direction, respectively, andthe four supporting portions 101 on one side and the four supportingportions 101 on the other side are arranged with a predeterminedinterval in the Y direction.

The carrying-in line 200″ is, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, arranged inthe substantially center region between the pair of supporting tables100 in the Y direction and formed so that the feeding direction extendsin the X direction. That is, the pair of supporting tables 100 arearranged and provided on the both sides in the horizontal direction (Ydirection) putting the carrying-in line 200″ between them.

In a downstream end region in the feeding direction (X direction) on thecarrying-in line 200″ (that is, the substantially center position in thestorage area), the taking-out position Pout where the article W is takenout by the transfer mechanism 300 is defined.

Subsequently, an operation of the above storage system will be describedreferring to FIGS. 14 to 17.

Here, with regard to the information relating to the supporting position(each supporting portion 101) on the supporting table 100, coordinates(X1, Y1), (X2, Y1), (X3, Y1), (X4, Y1), (X1, Y2), (X2, Y2), (X3, Y2),(X4, Y2) are inputted in the computer in advance.

First, as shown in (S1) in FIG. 14, the article W is carried into thetaking-out position Pout located at the substantially center of thestorage area by the carrying-in line 200″. Then, the reading sensor 400reads the read label affixed to the article W. That is, the reading stepof an article for reading the information relating to the article Wcarried in by the carrying-in line 200″ is performed by the readingsensor 400.

The reading step of an article is performed as above at the taking-outposition Pout on the carrying-in line 200″. That is, since theinformation relating to the article W is read immediately beforetransfer to the storage area (pallet P on the supporting table 100), thearticle W can be transferred to and stored in the corresponding storagearea assuredly and with high accuracy on basis of the information.

Subsequently, the holding unit 305 of the transfer mechanism 300 is, asshown in (S2) in FIG. 14, moved from the standby position and positionedabove the taking-out position Pout.

Then, by the outside forklift FL, as shown in (S3) in FIG. 14, eightempty pallets P are carried into the eight supporting portions 101(supporting positions) in total on the supporting tables 100 on bothsides. In this carrying-in, each of the pallets P is guided by thepositioning portion 103 and smoothly supported on the supporting portion101 while being positioned.

Subsequently, the reading/writing unit 500 reads the recording cardsprovided on the eight pallets P supported at the eight supportingpositions on the supporting tables 100 (storage areas), and theaddress-space setting step for setting the address space correspondingto the eight pallets P is executed by the computer on the basis of theread-out information.

Here, the information that no article W is loaded on the eight pallets Pand the pallet is empty is written in the recording card in advance.

The carrying-in operation of the pallet P may be performed prior to thecarrying-in of the article W.

Subsequently, the holding unit 305 of the transfer mechanism 300 islowered to hold the article W and to take it out of the carrying-in line200″ at the same time and lift it to a predetermined height. Then, theholding unit 305 of the transfer mechanism 300 is movedtwo-dimensionally in the XY plane on the basis of a command signal ofthe computer and as shown in (S4) in FIG. 15, the unit is moved toimmediately above the pallet P located at a predetermined position(here, the coordinate (X2, Y2), and actually, more specific coordinatesare allocated according to the size of the article W (tire), and here,any one of (a1, a2, a3, a4) for loading four articles W (tire)) andlowered to transfer the article W onto the pallet P.

Here, as shown in (S5) in FIG. 15, the type of the article W stored onthe pallet P at the coordinate (X2, Y2) is type A, and the articles W oftype A are loaded on the remaining three loading spaces on this palletP.

That is, the address-space setting step for setting the address spacescorresponding to the eight pallets P on the basis of the type of thearticle W which was transferred first is performed here.

By setting (allocating) the address space on the basis of the type ofthe article W which was loaded first as above, the flexible storageprocessing corresponding to the time-dependent request or the like eachtime can be performed.

The transfer mechanism 300 (holding unit 305) is set, similarly in thefollowing as shown in (S6) in FIG. 15, so that the article W of type Ais transferred onto the pallet P at the coordinate (X2, Y2) and thearticles W of types F, D, C, G, E, B, B are transferred onto each of thepallets P at the coordinates (X1, Y1), (X2, Y1), (X3, Y1), (X4, Y1),(X1, Y2), (X3, Y2), (X4, Y2). That is, on the basis of the informationobtained by the reading step of the article and the address-spacesetting step, the carrying-in/transfer step for transferring the articleW onto the pallet P on the supporting table 100 by the transfermechanism 300 is performed.

The two supporting tables 100 store 128 pieces (16×4×2) in total of thearticles W on the eight pallets P respectively in a state in which thearticles W are stacked in 2×2 in plural stages (four stages).

With regard to the pallet P onto which the article W has beentransferred by the carrying-in/transfer step, the information relatingto the address space is updated in the address-space setting step. Inthe recording card attached to the pallet P, too, new information iswritten in and updated by the reading/writing unit 500.

According to the above, since the article W is transferred and theinformation relating to the address space is updated at the same time,the articles W can be surely transferred onto the pallet P with alimited capacity without overload, and the loading information of thearticle W in the pallet P can be managed with high accuracy.

On the other hand, in the management processing, if there are both anurgent delivery request for the article W of type I having been notstored yet and a change request for a storage location of the article Wof type F, for example, as shown in (S6) in FIG. 15, first, the pallet Pfilled with the articles W of type C and the pallet P loaded with thearticles W of type F to the half are carried out by the outside forkliftFL, and the pallet P filled with the articles W of type C is fed to thesubsequent process such as a manufacturing line, while the pallet Ploaded with the articles W of type F is temporarily made to stand by ina predetermined standby area (not shown).

Then, by the forklift FL, as shown in (S7) in FIG. 16, two empty palletsP are carried into the two emptied supporting portions 101,respectively.

Then, as mentioned above, the reading/writing unit 500 reads therecording cards on the two pallets P newly supported at the twosupporting portions 101 (supporting positions) on the supporting table100 (storage area), and on the basis of the read-out information, theaddress-space setting step for setting the address space correspondingto the two pallets P is performed by the computer.

Subsequently, when the articles W of type I are carried in by thecarrying-in line 200″ in a state mixed with the articles W of type H, asshown in (S8, S9) in FIG. 16, the transfer mechanism 300 is operatedsimilarly as the above so as to transfer the articles W of type H ontothe one pallet P and to transfer the articles W of type I onto the otherpallet P.

When the transfer of the articles W of type I to the pallet P, which isurgent, has been completed, as shown in (S10) in FIG. 17, the pallet Pis carried out by the outside forklift FL or the like and transported toa requested location (the subsequent process of the manufacturing line,for example).

When this urgent carrying-out processing is completed, as shown in (S11)in FIG. 17, the pallet P having been in standby in the standby area iscarried in by the forklift FL to the supporting portion 101corresponding to the coordinate (X3, Y1) and supported, thereading/writing unit 500 reads the recording card provided on the palletP, and the address-space setting step for setting the address spacecorresponding to this pallet P is executed by a computer.

After that, according to the procedure as above, as shown in (S12) inFIG. 17, the articles W of type F are continuously transferred andstored on the pallet P located at the coordinate (X3, Y1), while thearticles W of type H are continuously transferred and stored on thepallet P located at the coordinate (X1, Y1).

According to the above storage system, similarly to the above, since thepair of supporting tables 100 for arranging and supporting the pluralityof pallets P on which the articles W can be loaded are employed as astorage area, the transfer mechanism 300 transfers the articles W ontothe pallet P supported on the pair of supporting tables 100, and thearticles W are stored on the pallet P in the stacked state, when thearticle W is to be taken out according to a delivery request, by takingit out for each pallet P by use of the carrying-out means such as theoutside forklift FL or an automatic carrying-out line and the like, itbecomes no longer necessary to perform the operation to transfer thearticle which is stored directly on the floor face as before to apallet, the carrying-out processing is simplified, and the efficiency ofthe storage processing of the articles W as a whole (carrying-in fromthe outside, transfer to the storage area, carrying-out to the outside)is improved.

Also, if the storage (allocation) location for the article W is to bechanged on the basis of the management plan of the articles W, thestorage (allocation) location can be easily changed by taking in/outeach pallet P on which the articles W are loaded with respect to thesupporting position on the pair of supporting tables 100.

Moreover, since the two supporting tables 100 arranged and provided onboth sides in the horizontal direction putting the carrying-in line 200″between them are employed, and the carrying-in line 200″ defines thetaking-out position Pout where the transfer mechanism 300 takes out thearticle W at the substantially center position in the storage area, thearticles W which have been carried in by the carrying-in line 200″ canbe sorted to the both sides for storage. Therefore, the storage capacityof the articles W as a whole can be increased, and since the transfermechanism 300 takes out the article W at the substantially centerposition (taking-out position Pout) of the storage area and transfers itonto the respective storage location (pallet P), the transfer operationcan be performed in a short moving distance symmetrically with respectto the substantially center position as the center toward the bothsides, and thus, the transfer time can be reduced, and the transferefficiency can be further improved.

FIGS. 18 to 20 show still another embodiment of the storage systemaccording to the present invention, and the same reference numerals aregiven to the same configuration as that in the above embodiment, and thedescription will be omitted.

That is, this storage system is provided with, as shown in FIGS. 18 to20, a pair of separated supporting tables 100″ as a storage area, thecarrying-in line 200′ arranged between the pair of supporting tables100″, the transfer mechanism 300′ arranged in an upper region (ceilingregion) of the pair of supporting tables 100″ and the like.

The pair of supporting tables 100″ are, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20,provided with four supporting portions 101, respectively. That is, itcorresponds to a form in which the supporting table 100 in the aboveembodiment is arranged in two pieces and separated from the center inthe X direction.

The carrying-in line 200′ is, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, arranged inthe substantially center region between the pair of supporting tables100″ in the X direction and is formed so that the feeding directionextends in the Y direction. That is, the pair of supporting tables 100″are arranged and provided on both sides of the horizontal direction (Xdirection) putting the carrying-in line 200′ between them.

In the downstream end region in the feeding direction (Y direction) onthe carrying-in line 200′ (that is, at the substantially center positionin the storage area), the taking-out position Pout where the article Wis taken out by the transfer mechanism 300′ is defined.

The transfer mechanism 300′ is, as shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, providedwith a movable frame 302′ supported movably in the X direction withrespect to the fixed frame 301 extending in the X direction, a slider303′ supported movably in the Y direction with respect to the movableframe 302′, the elevating arm 304, the holding unit 305 and the like.

According to this storage system, since the supporting tables 100″ arearranged on the both sides so as to put the carrying-in line 200′between them, the articles W having been carried in by the carrying-inline 200′ can be sorted to the both sides for storage, and the transfermechanism 300′ takes out the article W at the substantially centerposition of the storage area and transfers it to the respective palletsP arranged on the both sides, the transfer operation can be performed ina short moving distance symmetrically with respect to the substantiallycenter position as the center, and thus, the transfer time can bereduced, and the transfer efficiency can be further improved.

Since the operation in this storage system is substantially identicalwith the above-mentioned embodiment except that the articles W which wastaken out by the transfer mechanism 300′ are sorted to the both sides ofthe carrying-in line 200′ and transferred, the description here will beomitted.

FIGS. 21 to 24 show still another embodiment of the storage systemaccording to the present invention, and the same reference numerals aregiven to the same configuration as that in the above embodiment, and thedescription will be omitted.

That is, this storage system is, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, providedwith the two supporting tables 100 extending in the X direction, acarrying-in line 200″′ arranged so as to be put between the twosupporting tables 100, the transfer mechanism 300 arranged in an upperregion (ceiling region) of the two supporting tables 100 (storageareas), a pallet conveying line 600 arranged between the two supportingtables 100 and the like.

The two supporting tables 100 have, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, foursupporting portions 101 arranged in the X direction, respectively, andthe four supporting portions 101 on one side and the four supportingportions 101 on the other side are arranged with a predeterminedinterval in the Y direction.

The carrying-in line 200″′ is, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, provided witha feeding portion 201 having a feeding face S defined by a belt conveyeror a roller conveyer and the like, a gate-like leg portion 202supporting the feeding portion 201 and the like, and it is arranged inthe substantially center region between the pair of supporting tables100 in the Y direction and formed so that the feeding direction extendsin the X direction and a height H_(s) of the feeding face S is definedat a position higher than the maximum height Hw of the articles W whichare stacked in stages.

That is, the pair of supporting tables 100 are arranged and provided onboth sides in the horizontal direction (Y direction) putting thecarrying-in line 200″′ between them, and in a downstream end region inthe feeding direction (X direction) on the carrying-in line 200″′ (thatis, at the substantially center position in the storage area), thetaking-out position Pout where the article W is taken out by thetransfer mechanism 300 is defined.

The pallet feeding line 600 is, as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, providedwith a movable unit 601 movably supported in the X direction between thetwo supporting tables 100, a guide rail 602 for guiding the movable unit601 in the X direction and the like.

Here, the movable unit 601 is provided with a driving unit applying adriving force to the pallet P (a conveyer supporting a lower face of thepallet P and an arm to be hooked on to a part of the pallet P so as totake them in, for example (either of them is not shown)) so as to feedout the supported pallet P to the supporting portion 101 and to take inthe pallet P from the supporting portion 101.

Then, the movable unit 601 of the pallet conveying line 600 reciprocallymoves in a predetermined range in the X direction including the lowerpart of the leg portion 202 of the carrying-in line 200″′ so as to feedout the empty pallets P to the respective supporting portions 101(supporting positions) of the supporting tables 100 on the both sidesand to receive the pallets P loaded with the articles W from therespective supporting portions 101 (supporting positions) of thesupporting tables 100 on the both sides.

According to this storage system, since the empty pallets P (or thepallet P partially loaded with the articles W) are automatically carriedin by the pallet conveying line 600 (movable unit 601) to the respectivesupporting portions 101 (supporting positions) on the supporting table100 (storage area) and the pallets P on which the requested articles Ware loaded are automatically carried out toward the outside of thestorage area from the respective supporting portions 101 (supportingpositions) on the supporting table 100 (storage area), the taking in/outoperation of the pallet P and the carrying-out operation of the articlesW can be performed efficiently.

Particularly, since the movable unit 601 can reciprocally move in the Xdirection between the supporting tables 100 arranged on the both sidesso as to deliver the pallet P with the supporting table 100 on one sideor the supporting table 100 on the other side, the taking in/outoperation and the carrying-out operation of the pallet P which is emptyor on which the articles W are loaded can be performed furtherefficiently.

Also, since the feeding face S of the carrying-in line 200″′ is arrangedat a position higher than the maximum height Hw of the articles W whichare stacked on the pallet P supported on the supporting table 100, whenthe transfer mechanism 300 transfers the article W on the carrying-inline 200″′ onto the pallet P in the storage area, the mechanism slightlylifts up the article W from the feeding face S and holds it and then,only moves horizontally or downward and transfers it onto the pallet P,and since there is no need to lift up the article W high, the transferoperation can be simplified or a work amount (load) can be reduced bythat amount, the efficiency of the storage processing can be improved asa whole, and the movable unit 601 of the pallet feeding line 600 canmove through its lower region and the carry-in line 200″′ and the palletconveying line 600 can be arranged in a concentrated manner, by whichthe installation space can be saved.

Since the operations in the storage system are substantially the same asthose in the above-mentioned embodiment except that the carrying-in andcarrying-out of the pallet P are performed by the pallet conveying line600, the description here will be omitted.

Instead of the transfer mechanism 300 shown in FIGS. 21 to 23, thetransfer mechanism 300′ shown in FIG. 24 may be employed. In this case,the length of the movable frame 302′ can be shortened, and a weight ofthe movable body can be reduced.

Also, the pallet conveying line 600 may perform either one of thecarrying-in operation of the pallet P or the carrying-out operation ofthe pallet P in a collaborated work with the forklift FL. In this case,the forklift FL performs an operation assisting the operation of thepallet conveying line 600. For example, if the pallet conveying line 600performs the carrying-in operation of the pallet P, the forklift FLperforms the carrying-out operation of the pallet P. As a result, theefficiency of the storage processing can be further improved.

FIGS. 25 and 26 show still another embodiment of the storage systemaccording to the present invention and the same as the embodiment shownin FIGS. 21 to 23 except that the four supporting tables 100 and the twotransfer mechanisms 300 are employed.

That is, this storage system is provided with the four supporting tables100 extending in the X direction, the carrying-in line 200″′ arranged soas to be put between the internal two supporting tables 100 of the foursupporting tables 100, two transfer mechanisms 300 arranged on the upperregion (ceiling region) of the four supporting tables 100 (storagearea), the pallet conveying line 600 arranged between the internal twosupporting tables 100 in the four supporting tables 100 and the like.

According to this storage system, as compared with the embodiment shownin the above-mentioned FIGS. 21 to 23, the storage capacity of thearticle W can be increased by a portion corresponding to the added twosupporting tables 100 (eight pallets P supported by the eight supportingportions 101).

Since the operation in this storage system is substantially the same asthe embodiment shown in the above-mentioned FIGS. 21 to 23 except thatthe carrying-in and carrying-out of the pallet P supported on thesupporting tables 100 arranged on both outsides are performed by outsideforklift or the like, the description here will be omitted.

FIGS. 27 to 29, 30A and 30B show still another embodiment of the storagesystem according to the present invention, and the same referencenumerals are given to the same configuration as that in theabove-mentioned embodiment, and the description will be omitted.

That is, this storage system is, as shown in FIGS. 27 to 29, the twosupporting tables 100 extending in the X direction, the carrying-in line200″′ arranged so as to be put between the two supporting tables 100,the transfer mechanism 300′ arranged on the upper region (ceilingregion) of the two supporting tables 100 (storage areas), a palletconveying line 600′ and the like.

The two supporting tables 100 have, as shown in FIGS. 27 to 30B, foursupporting portions 101′ arranged in the X direction, respectively, andtwo positioning portions 103′ provided at each of the supportingportions 101′, and the four supporting portions 101′ on one side and thefour supporting portions 101′ on the other side are arranged with apredetermined interval in the Y direction.

The supporting portion 101′ is, as shown in FIGS. 27 to 30B, formed tobe provided with a belt-conveyer type driving unit including a pair ofsupporting belts 101 a′ and a driving motor 101 b′ so as to support thepallet P and to give a driving force to the pallet P during carrying-inand carrying-out.

The two positioning portions 103′ is formed so as to receive the palletP carried-in in the horizontal direction, to stop the pallet at apredetermined supporting position and to position the pallet.

The pallet feeding line 600′ is, as shown in FIGS. 27 to 29, providedwith a movable unit 601′ movably supported in the X direction betweenthe two supporting tables 100, the guide rail 602 for guiding themovable unit 601′ in the X direction, a pallet carrying-in unit 603arranged adjacent to the supporting table 100 on one side, a palletcarrying-out unit 604 as a carrying-out means arranged adjacent to thesupporting table 100 on the other side and the like.

The movable unit 601′ is formed to be provided with a belt-conveyer typedriving unit including a pair of supporting belts 601 a′ and a drivingmotor (not shown) so as to support the pallet P and to give the drivingforce to the pallet P when feeding out the pallet P to the supportingportion 101′ or when taking in the pallet P from the supporting portion101′.

The movable unit 601′ is configured to reciprocally move in apredetermined rage in the X direction including the lower part of theleg portion 202 of the carrying-in line 200″′ so as to feed out theempty pallet P toward each of the supporting portions 101′ (supportingpositions) of the supporting tables 100 on the both sides or to receivethe pallet P loaded with the article W from each of the supportingportions 101′ (supporting positions) of the supporting tables 100 on theboth sides.

The pallet carrying-in unit 603 is, as shown in FIG. 29, formed so as toinclude a conveyer for supporting the pallet P and moving it in the Xdirection, a conveyer for feeding out the pallet P having been carriedin to a predetermined position in the Y direction and the like so thatthe empty pallet P is carried in to the predetermined position anddelivered to the movable unit 601′.

The pallet carrying-out unit 604 is, as shown in FIG. 29, formed so asto include a conveyer for supporting the pallet P and moving it in the Xdirection, a conveyer for receiving the pallet P in the Y direction at apredetermined position and the like so that the pallet P loaded with thearticles W is received at the predetermined position from the movableunit 601′ and carried out in the X direction toward the outside.

Subsequently, the operation of the storage system will be describedreferring to FIGS. 31 to 34.

Here, with regard to the information relating to the supporting position(each supporting portion 101′) on the supporting table 100, coordinates(X1, Y1), (X2, Y1), (X3, Y1), (X4, Y1), (X1, Y2), (X2, Y2), (X3, Y2),(X4, Y2) are inputted in the computer in advance.

First, as shown in (S1) in FIG. 31, the article W is carried into thetaking-out position Pout located at the substantially center of thestorage area by the carrying-in line 200″′. Then, the reading sensor 400reads the read label affixed to the article W. That is, the reading stepof an article for reading the information relating to the article Wcarried in by the carrying-in line 200″′ is performed by the readingsensor 400.

The reading step of an article is performed at the taking-out positionPout on the carrying-in line 200″′ as above. That is, since theinformation relating to the article W is read immediately beforetransfer to the storage area (pallet P on the supporting table 100), thearticle W can be transferred to and stored in the corresponding storagearea assuredly and with high accuracy on the basis of the information.

Subsequently, the holding unit 305 of the transfer mechanism 300′ is, asshown in (S2) in FIG. 31, moved from the standby position and positionedabove the taking-out position Pout.

Subsequently, by means of the pallet carrying-in unit 603 and themovable unit 601′ of the pallet conveying line 600′, as shown in (S3) inFIG. 31, the eight empty pallets P are carried into the eight supportingportions 101′ in total on the supporting tables 100 on both sides. Thatis, the carrying-in step of the empty pallets P by the pallet conveyingline 600′ is performed.

During this carrying-in, since the driving unit (the pair of supportingbelts 601 a′ and the driving motor (not shown)) of the movable unit 601′gives the driving force for feeding out the pallet P, and the drivingunit of the supporting portion 101′ (the pair of supporting belts 101 a′and the driving motor 101 b′) gives the driving force to receive thepallet P, the smooth transfer operation of the pallet P is performed,and the pallet P carried onto the supporting portion 101′ is guided bythe positioning portions 103′ and smoothly positioned and supported onthe supporting portion 101′.

Subsequently, the reading/writing unit 500 reads the recording cardsprovided on the eight pallets P supported by the eight supportingportions 101′ (supporting positions) on the supporting table 100(storage area) and on the basis of the read-out information, theaddress-space setting step for setting the address space correspondingto the eight pallets P is performed by the computer.

Here, the information that no article W is loaded on the eight pallets Pand the pallet is empty is written in the recording card in advance.

The carrying-in operation of the pallet P may be performed prior to thecarrying-in of the articles W.

Subsequently, the holding unit 305 of the transfer mechanism 300′ isslightly lowered to hold the article W and lightly lifts it up from thecarrying-in line 200″′. Then, the holding unit 305 of the transfermechanism 300′ moves two-dimensionally in the XY plane on the basis of acommand signal of the computer, and as shown in (S4) in FIG. 32, theunit is moved to immediately above the pallet P located at apredetermined position (here, the coordinate (X2, Y2), and actually,more specific coordinates are allocated according to the size of thearticle W (tire), and here, any one of (a1, a2, a3, a4) for loading fourarticles W (tire)) and lowered to transfer the article W onto the palletP.

Here, as shown in (S5, S6) in FIG. 32, the type of the article W storedon the pallet P at the coordinate (X2, Y2) is type A, and the articles Wof type A are loaded on the remaining three loading spaces on thispallet P.

That is, the address-space setting step for setting the address spacescorresponding to the eight pallets P on the basis of the type of thearticle W which was transferred first is performed here.

By setting (allocating) the address space on the basis of the type ofthe article W which was loaded first as above, the flexible storageprocessing corresponding to the time-dependent request or the like eachtime can be performed.

The transfer mechanism 300′ (holding unit 305) is set, similarly in thefollowing as shown in (S6) in FIG. 32, so that the article W of type Ais transferred onto the pallet P at the coordinate (X2, Y2) and thearticles W of types F, D, C, G, E, B, B are transferred onto each of thepallets P at the coordinates (X1, Y1), (X2, Y1), (X3, Y1), (X4, Y1),(X1, Y2), (X3, Y2), (X4, Y2). That is, on the basis of the informationobtained by the reading step of an article and the address-space settingstep, the carrying-in/transfer step for transferring the articles W ontothe pallet P on the supporting table 100 by the transfer mechanism 300′is performed.

The two supporting tables 100 store 128 pieces (16×4×2) in total of thearticles W on the eight pallets P in a state in which the articles W arestacked in 2×2 in plural stages (four stages), respectively.

With regard to the pallet P onto which the article W has beentransferred by the carrying-in/transfer step, the information relatingto the address space is updated in the address-space setting step. Inthe recording card attached to the pallet P, too, new information iswritten in and updated by the reading/writing unit 500.

According to the above, since the article W is transferred and theinformation relating to the address space is updated at the same time,the articles W can be surely transferred onto the pallet P with alimited capacity without overload, and the loading information of thearticle W in the pallet P can be managed with high accuracy.

On the other hand, in the management processing, if there are both anurgent delivery request for the article W of type I having been notstored yet and a delivery request for the article W of type C, as shownin (S6) in FIG. 32, first, the movable unit 601′ moves to a positioncorresponding to the pallet P filled with the articles W of type C, andthe driving unit of the supporting portion 101′ and the driving unit ofthe movable unit 601′ give the driving forces, respectively, as shown in(S7) in FIG. 33 so that the movable unit 601′ receives the pallet P onwhich the article W of type C is loaded.

Then, the movable unit 601′ moves close to the outside of the storagearea in the X direction as shown in (S8) in FIG. 33 and feeds out thesupported pallet P onto the pallet carrying-out unit 604 as shown in(S9) in FIG. 33 similarly by the driving force of the driving unit. Thatis, the pallet carrying-out step for carrying out the article W forwhich carrying-out is requested among the articles w stored in thestorage area by the pallet carrying-out unit 604 (carrying-out means)for each pallet P is performed.

As mentioned above, since the pallet P loaded with the article Wcorresponding to a request is carried out, the storage processingincluding the flow of carrying-in, transfer, storage, carrying-out andthe like can be performed continuously without delay.

On the other hand, as shown in (S10) in FIG. 34, when the palletcarrying-in unit 603 carries in the empty pallets P to predeterminedpositions, the movable unit 601′ receives the empty pallets P similarlyby the driving force of the driving unit.

Then, the movable unit 601′ moves, as shown in (S11) in FIG. 34, to thevicinity of the supporting portion 101′ corresponding to the coordinate(X3, Y1), the driving unit of the supporting portion 101′ and thedriving unit of the movable unit 601′ give the driving forces,respectively, so as to transfer the empty pallets P onto the supportingportions 101′.

Then, similarly to the above, the reading/writing unit 500 reads therecording cards provided on the empty pallets P newly supported by thesupporting portions 101′ (supporting positions) on the supporting table100 (storage area), and on the basis of the read-out information, theaddress-space setting step for setting the address space correspondingto the pallets P is performed by the computer.

On the other hand, the movable unit 601′ moves, as shown in (S12) inFIG. 34, to a standby position close to the pallet carrying-in unit 603and the pallet carrying-out unit 604.

The pallet P loaded with the article W of type C carried out onto thepallet carrying-out unit 604 is fed out toward the subsequent processsuch as a manufacturing line.

Subsequently, in the articles W of type I having been carried in by thecarrying-in line 200″′, the read labels are read by the reading sensor400, and the transfer mechanism 300′ moves similarly to the above totransfer the articles W of type I onto the empty pallets P.

When the transfer of the articles W of type I to the pallet P, which isurgent, has been completed, by means of the movable unit 601′ and thepallet carrying-out unit 604 through the operation similar to the above,the pallets P loaded with the articles W of type I are carried outtoward the outside and transferred to the required location (thesubsequent process in the manufacturing line, for example).

When this urgent carrying-out processing is finished, similarly to theabove, the carrying-in of the empty pallets P, carrying-in and transferof the articles W and the like, are performed.

According to the above storage system, similarly to the above, since thepair of supporting tables 100 arranging and supporting the plurality ofpallets P on which the articles W can be loaded are employed as astorage area and the transfer mechanism 300′ transfers the articles W tothe pallets P supported on the pair of supporting tables 100 and thearticles W are stored in the stacked state with respect to the pallet P,when the article W is to be taken out in response to the deliveryrequest, by automatically taking out each pallet P by the palletconveying line 600′, the operation to transfer the articles directlystored on the floor face as before to the pallet is not needed any more,by which the carrying-out processing is simplified, and the efficiencyof the storage processing of the articles W as a whole (carrying-in fromthe outside, transfer to the storage area, carrying-out to the outside)is improved.

If the storage (allocation) location of the article W is to be changedon the basis of the management plan of the articles W, the storage(allocation) location can be easily changed by taking in/out each palletP on which the article W is loaded with respect to the supportingpositions on the pair of supporting tables 100.

Moreover, since the two supporting tables 100 arranged and provided onboth sides in the horizontal direction putting the carrying-in line200″′ between them are employed, and the carrying-in line 200″′ definesthe taking-out position Pout where the transfer mechanism 300′ takes outthe article W at the substantially center position in the storage area,the articles W which have been carried in by the carrying-in line 200″′can be sorted to the both sides for storage, and since the transfermechanism 300′ takes out the articles W at the substantially centerposition in the storage area (taking-out position Pout) and transfersthem to the respective storage location (pallet P), the transferoperation can be performed in a short moving distance toward the bothsides symmetrically with respect to the substantially center position asthe center, by which the transfer time can be shortened and the transferefficiency can be further improved.

Also, the pallet conveying line 600′ may perform either one of thecarrying-in operation of the pallet P or the carrying-out operation ofthe pallet P in a collaborated work with the forklift FL. In this case,the forklift FL performs an operation assisting the operation of thepallet conveying line 600′. For example, if the pallet conveying line600′ performs the carrying-in operation of the pallet P, the forklift FLperforms the carrying-out operation of the pallet P. As a result, theefficiency of the storage processing can be further improved.

FIGS. 35 to 37 show still another embodiment of the storage systemaccording to the present invention and the same configurations as thosein the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals and thedescription will be omitted.

That is, this storage system is, as shown in FIGS. 35 to 37, providedwith two pairs of supporting tables 100′ as a storage area separated inthe X direction and making pairs, respectively, a carrying-in line 210′arranged so as to be put between one pair of supporting tables 100,another carrying-in line 210′ arranged between another pair ofsupporting tables 100′, the transfer mechanisms 300′ arranged on theupper region (ceiling region) of the two pairs of supporting tables 100′(storage area), the pallet conveying line 600 movably arranged in the Xdirection between one pair of supporting tables 100′ and another pair ofsupporting tables 100′, and the like.

That is, this storage system is so configured, in the embodiment shownin FIG. 24, that the two supporting tables 100 extending in the Xdirection are divided in the middle in the X direction into two parts soas to have two pairs of supporting tables 100′, and the carrying-inlines 210′ are arranged between the supporting tables 100′ divided intotwo parts, respectively.

The carrying-in line 210′ changes a height of the feeding face S to aposition higher than the maximum height of the articles W stacked on thepallet P supported by the supporting table 100′, with respect to thecarrying-in line 200′ of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10.

Also, the carrying-in line 210′ is arranged so that its deepest end isnot overlapped with a moving region of the pallet conveying line 600.

Since the operation in this storage system is substantially the same asthat in the above-mentioned embodiment, the description here is omitted.

According to this storage system, since the two pairs of supportingtables 100′ arranging and supporting the plurality of pallets P on whichthe articles W can be loaded are employed as a storage area, thetransfer mechanism 300′ transfers the articles W to the pallets Psupported on the two pairs of supporting tables 100′, and the articles Ware stored on the pallets P in the stacked state, when the article W isto be taken out in response to the delivery request, by automaticallytaking out each pallet P by the pallet conveying line 600, the operationto transfer the articles directly stored on the floor face as before tothe pallet is not needed any more, by which the carrying-out processingis simplified, and the efficiency of the storage processing of thearticles W as a whole (carrying-in from the outside, transfer to thestorage area, carrying-out to the outside) is improved.

Particularly, since the movable unit 601 can reciprocally move in the Xdirection between the supporting tables 100′ arranged on the both sidesin the Y direction so as to deliver the pallet P with the pair ofsupporting tables 100′ on one side or the pair of supporting tables 100′on the other side, the taking in/out operation and the carrying-outoperation of the pallet P which is empty or on which the articles W areloaded can be performed efficiently.

Since the two carrying-in lines 210′ are provided, the carrying-inefficiency of the articles W can be further improved, and since thefeeding face S of the carrying-in line 210′ is arranged at a positionhigher than the maximum height of the articles W stacked on the pallet Psupported by the supporting table 100′, only by slightly lifting up thearticle W from the feeding face S and holding it and then, movinghorizontally or downward to transfer it to the pallet P, there is noneed for the transfer mechanism 300′ to lift up the article W high, andthe transfer operation can be simplified or the work amount (load) canbe reduced for that amount, and the efficiency of the storage processingcan be improved as a whole.

Also, if the storage (allocation) location of the article W is to bechanged on the basis of the management plan of the articles W, thestorage (allocation) location can be easily changed by taking in/outeach pallet P on which the article W is loaded with respect to thesupporting positions on the two pairs of supporting tables 100′.

Also, since the supporting tables 100′ are arranged on both sides in thehorizontal direction (X direction) putting the carrying-in line 210′between them, and the carrying-in line 210′ defines the taking-outposition Pout where the transfer mechanism 300′ takes out the article Wat the substantially center position in the storage area, the article Whaving been carried in by the carrying-in line 210′ can be sorted to theboth sides for storage, and the transfer mechanism 300′ takes out thearticles W at the substantially center position (taking-out positionPout) of the storage area and transfers them to the respective storagelocations (pallets P), the transfer operation can be performed in ashort moving distance toward the both sides symmetrically with respectto the substantially center position as the center and thus, thetransfer time can be shortened and the transfer efficiency can befurther improved.

Moreover, the pallet conveying line 600 may perform either one of thecarrying-in operation of the pallet P or the carrying-out operation ofthe pallet P in a collaborated work with the forklift FL. In this case,the forklift FL performs an operation assisting the operation of thepallet conveying line 600. For example, if the pallet conveying line 600performs the carrying-in operation of the pallet P, the forklift FLperforms the carrying-out operation of the pallet P. As a result, theefficiency of the storage processing can be further improved.

In this embodiment, the case of employing two carrying-in lines 210′ isshown, but only one carrying-in line 210′ may be employed.

On the other hand, similarly to this embodiment, in the embodimentsshown in FIGS. 13, 20, 23, 24, 26, and 29, too, two carrying-in linesmay be employed in order to improve the storage (carrying-in, transfer)efficiency.

In the above embodiment, in the address-space setting step, the case inwhich the address spaces corresponding to the plurality of pallets P areset on the basis of the type of the article W which was transferredfirst is shown, but not limited to that, such a method of setting theaddress spaces corresponding to the plurality of pallets P in accordancewith the assumed type of the article W in advance may be employed.

According to this method, by setting (allocating) the address spacesaccording to the assumed type of the articles W in advance, well-plannedand efficient storage processing can be performed.

Also, in the above embodiment, as the article W which is stored in thisstorage system, a tire applied to a vehicle is shown, but not limited tothat, other products (electric products, mechanical products and thelike) may be applied, and though as the method of loading the articles Won the pallet P, the case in which they are stacked in 2 rows by 2columns in four stages is shown, but not limited to that, other loadingmethods or a method of loading only a single large article may beapplied.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As mentioned above, with the storage system and the storage method ofthe present invention, since the processing of carrying-in and storingan article (a product such as a tire, for example) or carrying-out thestored article according to a request can be efficiently performed whilespace saving and size reduction of the installation area, simplificationof the structure and the like are achieved, and the various diversifiedarticles can be surely stored after being sorted by the type, it isneedless to say that the present invention can be applied to amanufacturing line of storing the products such as tires in a stackedmanner and carrying them out according to a request but not limited tothe manufacturing lines, the invention can be used merely as a storagefor products.

1. A storage system comprising: a storage area for arranging and storingan article; a carrying-in line for carrying in the article toward thestorage area; and a transfer mechanism arranged in an upper region ofthe storage area, for transferring the article which was carried in bythe carrying-in line to the storage area, wherein the storage areaincludes a supporting table for supporting a plurality of pallets onwhich the article can be loaded in an arranged state; the transfermechanism includes a fixed frame extending in a X direction and a Ydirection so as to surround an upper region of the storage area, amovable frame movably supported in the Y direction with respect to thefixed frame, a slider movably supported in the X direction with respectto the movable frame, an elevating arm supported capable of elevation ina vertical direction with respect to the slider, and a holding unitprovided at a lower end of the elevating arm and capable of holding thearticle, further comprising: a pallet conveying line arranged along thesupporting table in order to carry in the pallet toward the supportingtable and/or for carrying out the pallet from the supporting table; anda reading means provided at the carrying-in line in order to readinformation of an information medium attached to the article, whereinthe transfer mechanism transfers the article to a predetermined positionon a predetermined pallet supported on the supporting table on a basisof the information read by the reading means.
 2. The storage systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the pallet conveying line includes a guiderail extending along the supporting table, and a movable unit movablysupported by the guide rail and on which a pallet can be loaded; and themovable unit includes a driving unit for feeding out or taking in of thepallet with the supporting table.
 3. The storage system according toclaim 2, wherein the pallet conveying line includes a pallet carrying-inunit arranged adjacent to one side of the guide rail, for carrying in apallet into the movable unit; and a pallet carrying-out unit arrangedadjacent to the other side of the guide rail, for carrying out thepallet from the movable unit.
 4. The storage system according to claim2, wherein the driving unit includes a belt conveyer on which a palletcan be loaded, and a driving motor for driving the belt conveyer.
 5. Thestorage system according to claim 1, wherein the carrying-in lineincludes a feeding portion for feeding articles, and a gate-like legportion for supporting the feeding portion above the pallet conveyingline at a height position enabling feeding by the pallet conveying linein a state where the articles are stacked on the pallet.
 6. The storagesystem according to claim 5, wherein the carrying-in line is arranged inparallel with a longitudinal direction of the supporting table.
 7. Thestorage system according to claim 1, wherein the carrying-in line isarranged so as to orthogonally cross the longitudinal direction at anintermediate position equally dividing the supporting table into twoparts in the longitudinal direction.
 8. The storage system according toclaim 6, wherein the storage area includes a plurality of the supportingtables arranged in parallel so as to form plural rows; and thecarrying-in line and the pallet conveying line are arranged between thesupporting tables forming the plural rows.
 9. The storage systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the carrying-in lines are arranged inopposing two in a direction orthogonally crossing the longitudinaldirection at an intermediate position equally dividing the supportingtable into two parts in the longitudinal direction; and the palletconveying line is arranged along the longitudinal direction of thesupporting table between the two carrying-in lines.
 10. The storagesystem according to claim 1, wherein the supporting table includes areading/writing means for reading information of an information mediumattached to a pallet being to be supported thereby or writing theinformation in the information medium; and the reading/writing meansupdates the information of the information medium when loadinginformation of the article which is loaded on the pallet supported bythe supporting table is changed.
 11. A storage method for carrying in anarticle by a carrying-in line and transferring the article by a transfermechanism to a storage area for storage or for carrying out the articlein response to a request, comprising: a pallet carrying-in step forcarrying in a plurality of pallets supported by a supporting tablearranged in the storage area defined by a transfer range of the transfermechanism by means of a pallet conveying line; an address-space settingstep for reading information of an information medium relating to theplurality of pallets supported by the supporting table and for setting aaddress space corresponding to each of the pallets; a reading step of anarticle for reading the information of the information medium relatingto the article which has been carried in by the carrying-in line; acarrying-in/transfer step for transferring the article to apredetermined pallet on the supporting table by the transfer mechanismon a basis of the information obtained by the reading step of an articleand address-space setting step; and an address-space updating step forupdating the information relating to the address space for the pallet towhich the article was transferred by the carrying-in/transfer step. 12.The storage method according to claim 11, further comprising: a palletcarrying-out step, when a carrying-out request for an article which isstored on a predetermined pallet of the storage area is made, forcarrying out the article for which the carrying-out is requested by acarrying-out means or the pallet conveying line for each pallet; and apallet carrying-in step for carrying in different pallets at positionsof the pallets carried out by the pallet carrying-out step.
 13. Thestorage method according to claim 11, wherein the address-space settingstep sets address spaces corresponding to a plurality of pallets on abasis of a size of the article for each pallet.
 14. The storage methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the address-space setting step setsaddress spaces corresponding to a plurality of pallets in advance inaccordance with assumed types of the articles.
 15. The storage methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the address-space setting step sets anaddress space corresponding to each of a plurality of pallets on a basisof a type of the article which was transferred first.
 16. The storagemethod according to claim 11, wherein the reading step of an article isperformed at a taking-out position on the carrying-in line for takingout an article by the transfer mechanism.
 17. The storage systemaccording to claim 5, wherein the supporting table includes areading/writing means for reading information of an information mediumattached to a pallet being to be supported thereby or writing theinformation in the information medium; and the reading/writing meansupdates the information of the information medium when loadinginformation of the article which is loaded on the pallet supported bythe supporting table is changed.